Expound: Romans 13-14:13 - Part B

There are times when we are called to disobey government. The general rule is you don't beat your hearts to be subversive to be a rabble-rouser not to stir up trouble always be against times when being God means disobeying government today as he shares is a believer and as a citizen of the Scriptures's encouragement on social media just following Facebook twitter instrument. Get the latest him and his ministry that at Skip Heitzig at Skip HC Romans chapter as we dive into today's teaching. Skip Heitzig next time you get hold over by and they noticed you been doing 25 miles over the speed limit. The last miles and the gonna write you a ticket. No warning, a ticket, you really should thank them should thank the officer because the officer is writing you a ticket pulled you over because he is there to protect your life. He understands. Obviously you don't.

You and I when we get pulled over word to dumb to protect ourselves. So that's why we hire it out in the police whom we hire are there to protect your life. So think the officer for stopping you in writing the ticket or watching over the community there part of the common grace the common blessing you know it's worse than a bad cop. No cop if you were to defund the police as some propose you should.

We should, you probably would make if there were no police on the street, you probably would make it home from church. Eventually that would be the case there would be total anarchy without laws and without those to uphold those laws enforce those laws as part of common grace common blessing God's minister.

Now I will say this when I was younger I did not think this way. We had where I live right down the street from us a couple of police officers. CHP's California Highway Patrol's who just love their job a little too much love the authority had brought and in particular did not like motorcyclists. While my brother Bob and I were riding motorcycles up and down the street every day for months for years not always abiding by the law. We were kids.

So, at age 13, 14, 15, I Marty riding a motorcycle in California on the streets. The officer would pull us over. We felt unduly hassle us. That began a very uneasy relationship that I had with law enforcement.

It wasn't good.

To this day because of all those altercations add to this day, whenever I see a black and white.

A police officer. Sheriff say trooper Mike I white knuckle the steering like I grab it's instinctive. I may be doing under and I looked doing the speed limit. That's not always not even often, but when that happens is like right the first time I got pulled over in a car. I was 15 I had my learners permit didn't have a license. I was pulled over by California Highway Patrol in San Bernardino, California, and he said can I see your license. I didn't have a license again. I have learners permit so he said in our youth that was illegal. What I was doing right will be only sickness your license and I said officer. I forgot my license at home.

He said are you a vase you have a license of yes or no I I'm I'm unregenerate at the time. I'm unsaved so give me a little bit of a break. Do you expect, I hope another unsaved person to act on save act there. I acted very unsaved, so I lied a saliva. I have a license because okay what's your address. I told my correct address. My parents phone number very competently and he said okay I'm in a check.

I want to check our records. If you're lying and you don't have a license you're in big trouble is no problem. Go ahead, call my folks. Now I was hoping, dare I say even praying that that wouldn't happen, which it did not happen, but here was the kicker for me at the time I got pulled over and and he said do you know how fast you're doing.

I said Sir I was doing the speed limit because that was a problem he said them you're impeding traffic. In other words, he said anything explain this to me you need to go the flow of traffic. If you are in this left lane and you are slowing down. That's your your slowing the flow of traffic. That's dangerous. We call that impeding traffic now probably only in the state of California do you get a ticket for going to slow because I notice a lot of people in New Mexico impede traffic all day long and it seems to be sort of the affair but there was a problem here. If you do the opposite you get a ticket that is under no I why insured has nothing to do it all with this message except when confessing my sin to you that I had an uneasy relationship with police officers. Now I thank God every time I see them. Therefore, verse five, you must be subject, not only because of wrath. Not only could you get in trouble not only because you might get a citation, not only because you might go to jail if you commit a severe enough infraction but also for the sake of your conscience or because of this you also pay taxes, who now now Paul, now you're getting really close to home here because of this you also pay taxes, for they that is, those government tax collectors that they are God's ministers. Now it's really difficult to swallow. Now he saying the IRS are God's ministers, for they are God's ministers and notice attending continually to this very thing that I agree with they do attend continually to this very thing. There's no end to the creative ways they come up with the taxes, render therefore to all their due taxes to whom taxes are due customs to whom customs to pay your taxes.

Don't try to sneak anything over when you fly somewhere in your suitcase paid the custom pay the tribute fear to whom fear honor to whom honor.

So we are to support the government basically by paying our taxes and by giving them respect. Once again, consider the background. The New Testament was written in in Israel.

For example, the tax structure was far more burdensome than our own in Israel the Roman government and all over the Roman world exacted what was called the poll tax number one. The poll tax was a tax for everybody alive from age if you're a male age 16 to age 65. If you're a female like age 14 to age 65 that was called the poll tax. It is a tax on you breathing for you.

Just being alive.

You paid the poll tax. Then there was an income tax on top of the poll tax, income tax was a 10% flat tax.

Then there was a grounded tax you are taxed on use of roads. The use of bridges. Then there was a cart tax.

If you had a cart with wheels on it. You are taxed depending on the number of wheels you utilize where there was one wheel like a wheelbarrow to wheels for wheels, the more wheels. The more tax there was a fish tax on top of all those the fish tax was if you live by the ocean or unit by like the Sea of Galilee. You were tax per fish you caught in your net you were tax for that on top of that you paid aground tax or did I mention aground tax okay so the ground tax was if you work and if you grew grain you had to pay the government 10% of whatever you grew if you grew wine like in vineyards, you would pay 25% tax. So there was tax upon tax upon tax and yet Paul says pay your taxes, give them respect rendered to all their due taxes doing taxes are due custom to whom customs or do fear to whom fear honor to whom honor now before we get into the next section we have to ask this. Okay I understand what Paul is saying, but is there ever a time when you disobey the government you don't honor them. You don't obey them. Is there a core service. We find that in the Scripture book of Daniel is one of them I just mentioned it when Nebuchadnezzar built that huge statue and commanded the whole world bow down three Hebrew fellows decided not to do that Shadrach me shack and Abednego some rock. I bow down to that false idol is a well if you don't bow down when the throw you into the fiery furnace, and you'll be dead.

They said listen, our God is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and even if he doesn't talk about so they disobeyed government orders in acts chapter 4 in acts chapter 3. There was a healing of the lame man at the gate beautiful in the city of Jerusalem. Peter and John were there used by God to do that.

They were brought on trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin effect of that healing was so great it says 5000 men believe in Jesus that day so it created quite a stir in Jerusalem. Peter and John stand trial and they say by what name about what authority have you done this in Peterson before being called into question because of a good deed done to a lame guy, be it known to you that by the name of Jesus of Nazareth, whom you killed, whom God raised from the dead. Does this man stand before you whole. And they say well passing the law in Jerusalem. No one can ever speak in the name of Jesus use that name like you have nobody can do that from now on in the city. They were let go, they went right back out into the temple courts and preached again were arrested again put in prison overnight and angels sprung them from jail.

They went right back out and did it again.

They were arrested again in chapter 5 brought before the leaders. Leaders said did we give you the command the order, the law that you shouldn't speak anymore in this name. They said well whether it's right in the sight of God, to obey you more than men.

You decide. But as for us, we must speak what we have seen and heard and then he said we must obey God rather than men. We have to so when the government passes a law that interferes with the laws God has told us to keep with the dictums dictates things God has told us to practice when the government says you can't do that. They infringe upon not just constitutional right. But what God tells us at some point we disobey.

So being a good Christian means being a good a good citizen until being a good citizen means being a bad Christian. So there were times when this became problematic to pick yourself in the shoes of you live in the South in the 1850s Europe plantation owner a Christian plantation owner, you have working under you people conscripted as slaves you morally feel this is wrong. Biblically you feel slavery is wrong, but it's the structure that is set up and you want to feed your family and you you feel the angst. The poll in your culture but and in your spirit, and then you hear that the South in which you live is going to wage war military war against the union. The northern states over this issue. What you do, do you will eat. They want to secede from the union and the South is do you cross over enemy lines and now live in the north and fight for the north 30 say in the South. What you do.

It's a moral dilemma. Here's another example you're living in the 1930s in Germany, you're a Christian businessman, the leader of the country is seemingly very promising at all if somebody or at all for her right right at all for the chancellor of the Third Reich sees promise in you and wants to promote you, but you understand his ideology toward the Jews, and is a believer that's untenable you what you do. Those are things that people at believers dealt with during that era. So there are times when we are called to disobeyed government, but the general rule is you don't beat your knots appear not to be subversive not to be a rabble-rouser not to stir up trouble, you're not always be against the government. You don't want to be known for that. So verse eight continues although no one anything except to love one another. Don't owe anybody anything.

But oh, every buddy love love everyone. For he who loves another has fulfilled the law for the commandments you shall not commit adultery shall not murder, you shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet. And if there's any other commandment are all summed up in this saying, namely you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor.

Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law now impulses all no man don't all and anybody anything he doesn't mean as some people have said this means he's not forbidding you to have a credit card or to have payments for a house that you can eventually pay off in 1530 years or a car payment. That's not what it's referring to it's because if it were you have to deal with a lot of texts that say it's okay to do that like Exodus chapter 22, which is laws governing borrowing and paying back. I'm so there were loans that were taken out in his room or the words of Jesus in the sermon on the mouses of if somebody asked you for something, give it to him if he wants to borrow something from you, let him. Jesus wouldn't say that if if borrowing and lending was prohibited, but the idea here is, is don't don't overburden yourself to the point where you can't pay it.

Don't over borrow. I don't overbuy you know sometimes we want to buy something. We can't wait for it and so we get behind in payments you want to have a good record going forward, but to show that you are a responsible child of God, because Ben Franklin said creditors have better memories than debtors for skid wisdom I you you you take something out on credit. Now, pay it off in an you may forget they will not and they will compound the interest some some of us will know, but you'll notice that he says that we have the duty to love one another and then you list some of the commandments.

So what is listing is from what's called the second table of the law.

The law of Moses the 10 Commandments are two tables the first for the second six.

The first four dealt with our relationship with God, the second six dealt with man's relationship to mankind.

All is making a very important statement a statement that Jesus underscored that if you live by the law of love, you'll fulfill the law of Moses. If you love somebody in our curriculum.

If you love somebody not to covet. If you love somebody and I can rip them off and I can still from them etc. etc. so there were 10 Commandments Jesus comes along and turns them from negative and the positive and reduces them to to commandments. He said love the Lord your God with all your heart mind soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. On these to hang all the law and the prophets sensitive, shall not, thou shall not bow shall not. Jesus said we just do this love God with all your heart mind soul to love your neighbor as yourself.

You keep it all, then he really reduced down to one when he gave the golden rule do unto others as you would have others do to you know again it's put in the positive love verse 10 does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law and I just want to touch on something if I can briefly and I see if I can you say no you can't, but you'll notice in verse nine how he sums it up with that.

Some reverse I just mentioned, you shall love your neighbor as your self what is that mean you shall love your neighbor as yourself. And the reason I asked that is because there has come a teaching I've heard it over the last couple of decades, but it resurfaces every few years and it goes like this. If you really want to love your neighbor, you have to first begin by loving yourself, you will be able to love others until you are in love with yourself and once you learn to love your self and your equipped to love your neighbor and I've even heard this, and equipped to love God, you can't love God. They say unless you love yourself first because were told to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. You begin with self-love and then you love God and you love your neighbor well I'll accept rising.

First of all, never, is there a commandment in the Bible to love yourself to commandments are given by Jesus not treated as a love yourself and the love God with all your heart mind soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.

That's never there and and and then second when it says love your neighbor as your self.

It's because it presupposes him the love your love your neighbor as you love yourself. That's the presupposition the presupposition of the truth is that you arty do love yourself.

And because you already love yourself and everybody on earth knows that we all love ourselves based on that love others with that same kind of care that same kind of interest that you have been yourself turn that outward others, it presupposes that everybody already does love your self so loving your self is not the solution. Loving yourself is the problem and yet this teaching has come into the church to teach you how to love yourself so that you can love others, you arty love yourself.

Paul said if you love yourself, you wouldn't nourish your flesh, you would eat you wouldn't you wouldn't put perfume on somebody's dress up nice and perfume. Oh I hate myself really.

I couldn't tell. So it's a presupposed fact and often the very root of the problem so love your neighbor as yourself.

Love does no harm to a neighbor.

Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law and do this, knowing the time, but now it is high time to way out of sleep for now.

Our salvation is nearer than when we first that's good. The message from the series expound tissue that will help you engage even deeper new Bible study times is your personal Bible study time, frustrating direction. You can study the Bible with the plan. See progress.

Listen to this from skintight think all of us.

We have trouble with certain parts of the Bible. Sometimes it's tough, but exposure to the five consistent exposure to the Bible. I would add on a daily basis with the consistent desire to obey more for you than any other thing that I can think of?

Take the mystery vital $25 and history I you don't have to be afraid of what company tomorrow is skintight six years how you can be a loving, encouraging neighbor to fellow believers, and focus on God's calling for we will be judged before Christ and given rogue wards in the kingdom based upon our faithfulness to what God has called us to were saved by grace you have in your words by his finished work. I know that but your position in the kingdom is determined by your faithfulness to what God is